Zhang Er, a guy from the state of Liang, was a follower of Lord Xinling of Wei when he was young. Once, he fled to Waihuang, where a rich guy's daughter was a real looker. She had married a poor and foolish servant, and her dad was a big wig back in the day. This man told her, "If you want to find a good husband, marry Zhang Er." She asked her folks, and they let her marry Zhang Er. Her family took good care of him, and because of that, Zhang Er attracted many retainers and later became the magistrate of Waihuang.
Chen Yu, also from Liang, was really into Confucianism. While traveling in Zhao, he married the daughter of a wealthy man named Gongshi. Even as a kid, Chen Yu idolized Zhang Er, and they became thick as thieves.
Back when Liu Bang was a nobody, he hung around with Zhang Er. After the state of Qin conquered Wei, there was a thousand gold bounty on Zhang Er's head, and five hundred on Chen Yu's. They both changed their names and hightailed it to Chen County, where they ended up guarding the inner gate. One day, some official decked Chen Yu for a little slip-up, and Chen Yu wanted to retaliate. Zhang Er stopped him and told him to endure the beating. After the official left, Zhang Er rebuked him, saying, "Remember what I said? Now you're gonna start a fight with a cop over nothing?" Chen Yu quickly apologized.
Chen Sheng raised troops in Qixian and, upon arriving in Chen County, Zhang Er and Chen Yu went to see him. The people around Chen Sheng had long heard of the reputation of Zhang Er and Chen Yu. When Chen Sheng saw the two of them, he was very happy. There was a hero in Chen County named Chen Haojie, who said to Chen Sheng, "General, you are armed to the teeth, leading soldiers to attack the Qin and revive the Chu kingdom. You've earned the right to be king!" Chen Sheng then asked for the opinions of Zhang Er and Chen Yu, and they replied, "General, you're a force to be reckoned with and ready for anything, prepared to eliminate the Qin for the people of the world. It’s not appropriate to declare yourself king as soon as you arrive in Chen County; that’s treating the world like your personal fiefdom! We hope that you will not declare yourself king, but quickly lead your troops westward, send people to support the descendants of the six states, and establish your own power. In this way, there will be no wars in various regions. After eliminating the Qin, you can declare yourself king in Xianyang, command the vassals, and stabilize the kingdom! If you declare yourself king only in Chen County now, it won't sit well with everyone." Chen Sheng did not listen to their advice and eventually declared himself king.
I then said to King Chen, "Your Majesty, you have raised troops in response to Liang Chu, aiming to advance into Guanzhong, and have not yet had time to recover Hebei. I have traveled in Zhao country before and know the heroes there. I would like to request to lead an elite unit to attack Zhao territory." King Chen agreed and appointed a Chen national he trusted, Wu Chen, as the general. I was appointed as second-in-command, and we were given 3,000 men and crossed the Yellow River at White Horse Ferry.
When we arrived in various counties, we went to rally the local bigwigs, saying: "The Qin are running a brutal regime, harming the people of the world. They are building the Great Wall in the north and stationing troops in five counties in the south. The whole country's in chaos; the common people are exhausted, bled dry to fund their army, money is running out, manpower is dwindling, and with harsh laws, family life is shattered. Now King Chen's raised the flag of rebellion, calling for an uprising throughout the country. Everyone's joining in, seething for revenge, wanting to avenge their grievances. County magistrates and officials are being overthrown, and governors and lieutenants are being toppled. Anyone who doesn't make their name now isn't a real hero! Join us, overthrow the tyrant, avenge your families, and win glory and land—it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance!" Those heroes all agreed with my words.
So we started recruiting soldiers and quickly gathered tens of thousands of people, adopting the title of Wuxin Lord. We captured more than a dozen cities in the Zhao state, while the others held firm. Then we marched northeast to attack Fanyang. Kua Tong, a Fanyang man, talked the magistrate, Xu Gong, into surrendering, then convinced me to make him a marquis. News of this led to over thirty Zhao cities surrendering without a fight.
When I arrived in Handan, I heard that Zhou Zhang's army entered Hangu Pass but was blocked in Xixian. I also heard that many generals were falsely accused of expanding territory for King Chen and were executed. I blamed King Chen in my heart, feeling that he should have given General Hu and me higher positions instead of mere lieutenants. I advised Wuchen, "King Chen doesn't have to appoint the nobles of the six states as kings! General, you have already taken dozens of cities in Zhao and occupied the region of Hebei on your own. If you don't claim the title of king, these territories will not be enough! Besides, King Chen is fickle and unreliable; we might not escape his wrath. General, don't miss this opportunity!" Wuchen declared himself King of Zhao, appointed me as Grand General, and Hu as Prime Minister. Then he sent someone to report to King Chen. King Chen, upon hearing this, was furious and wanted to exterminate Wuchen's clan and attack Zhao.
At this time, Fang Jun, the Prime Minister of Chu, advised King Chen, "The Qin dynasty has not yet fallen, and now you want to kill Wuchen's family. Aren't you just creating another Qin dynasty? Why not pay him lip service and have him launch a westward campaign against Qin?" King Chen accepted his advice, placed Wuchen's family under house arrest in the palace, appointed Hu's son Ao as the Marquis of Chengdu, and sent envoys to feign congratulations to King Zhao and urge him to send his army west to engage Qin. Hu and I advised Wuchen again, "Your Majesty, becoming King of Zhao was not Chu's intention. We only used this strategy to congratulate you on becoming king. If Chu destroys Qin, they will definitely come to attack Zhao. Your Majesty, do not head west. You should go north to attack Yan and Dai, and south to reclaim the region of Henan, expanding your territory. Zhao is protected by the Yellow River to the south and has Yan and Dai as barriers to the north. Even if Chu defeats Qin, they will not dare to provoke Zhao easily." King Zhao, persuaded by our logic, abandoned his western campaign and instead dispatched Han Guang against Yan, Li Liang against Changshan, and Zhang Yan against Shangdang.
Han Guang arrived in Yan Country, and the people of Yan immediately made him King of Yan. Zhao Wang, along with Zhang Er and Chen Yu, scouted the border region of Yan Country to gather information. However, when Zhao Wang slipped out, he was captured by the Yan army. Yan Country imprisoned Zhao Wang and wanted to divide the territory with Zhang Er and Chen Yu. Every messenger Yan Country sent was killed in order to force Zhang Er and Chen Yu to cede the land. Zhang Er and Chen Yu were very anxious about this situation.
Just then, a stablehand said to his mates, "I’ll go talk to the people of Yan and bring Zhao Wang back." The others laughed at him, saying, "More than ten messengers have been killed before. What makes you think you'll bring Zhao Wang back?" Without saying a word, the stablehand went straight to the Yan camp. The Yan commander asked him, "Do you know what we want?" The stablehand replied, "You want Zhao Wang." The commander then asked, "Do you know what kind of guys Zhang Er and Chen Yu are?" The stablehand said, "They're both tough guys." The commander further asked, "What’s their goal?" The stablehand replied, "They want to be kings too."
The soldier from Zhao Country laughed and said, "You haven't got a clue about these two! Wuchen, Zhang Er, and Chen Yu initially wielded their whips and captured dozens of cities in Zhao Country, all with the desire to become kings themselves. You can't compare a boss and his underlings. Once things calmed down, Wuchen was made king to stabilize the hearts of the people of Zhao Country. Now that Zhao Country has been pacified, these two also want to divide Zhao Country and become kings themselves, but it's not the right time.
You've got Zhao Wang. You say you want him, but really, you want Zhang Er and Chen Yu dead. That way, they can split Zhao and become kings. One Zhao is bad enough for Yan; two more kings will finish them off. Killing Zhao Wang makes it even easier!"
The Yan commander figured, fair enough, so he released the King of Zhao. The stablehand practically skipped sending the King of Zhao back to Zhao. Li Liang took Changshan and hightailed it back to the King of Zhao. They hit Shiyi only to find the Qin army had Jingxing Pass bottled up. Li Liang was stymied. At this time, the Qin general played a trick and pretended that the Second Emperor had sent someone to deliver a letter to Li Liang. The letter was not sealed and said, "Hey Li Liang, you worked for us before. Flip Zhao, join us, and you're a made man – marquis, prime minister, the works!" Li Liang got the letter, chewed it over, not sure what to think. So Li Liang booked it to Handan for backup. On the way to Handan, he ran into the King of Zhao's sister and her hundred-plus cavalry. From afar, Li Liang thought it was the King himself, so he jumped off his horse and knelt by the roadside. Turns out, the princess was steaming drunk and didn't know who he was. She just had her guys thank him. Li Liang, used to the high life, felt his guys looked like a bunch of chumps. One of his guys piped up, "Everybody's against Qin. Smart guys are grabbing power. And the King's always been a jerk to you, and now his sister's being a snob? Let's nail her!" Li Liang was still mulling over the Qin letter when this set him off. He sent someone to off the princess and went straight for Handan.
The people in Handan City were totally unsuspecting, thinking that Li Liang was going to kill Wuchen. The Zhao state's intelligence network was excellent; this allowed Wuchen to escape, and Li Liang to raise an army of tens of thousands. Later, someone advised Wuchen and Chen Yu, "Both of you are now exiled, and it is difficult to stand firm on your own if you want to rely on the Zhao state; it’s better to support Zhao Xie as king and assist him to really make something of yourselves." So they found Zhao Xie, supported him as the King of Zhao, and established Xindu as the capital.
Li Liang brought troops to attack me, but I defeated him. Li Liang fled back to Zhang Han. Zhang Han brought troops to Handan, deported everyone from Handan to the area along the Yellow River, and leveled the city to the ground. Zhao Wang Xie and I fled to Julu City, which was surrounded by Wang Li. I raised an army of tens of thousands from the Changshan region and positioned them north of Julu. Zhang Han's army was at Jiyuan south of Julu City, building a road to the Yellow River to transport supplies to Wang Li. Wang Li's army had sufficient food and launched a fierce attack on Julu City. Julu ran out of food, and Chen Yu sent people multiple times to call for my support, but I figured my troops were no match for the Qin, so I stayed put.
Months went by, and Chen Yu was furious and chewed me out. He sent Zhang Yan and Chen Shi to persuade me, saying, "We used to be brothers in arms! Now King Zhao and Chen Yu could die at any moment, while you have an army and refuse to come to our rescue. Why not make a suicidal attack on the Qin camp? Maybe one or two of us can survive!" I said, "I do not want to die together because I want to avenge King Zhao and General Zhang. What good is dying together now? It's like throwing meat to the wolves!" Zhang Yan and Chen Shi said, "This is desperate. We need to show them we're in this together, or who knows what happens next?" I said, "Nah, that won't help." Then I sent five thousand men to follow Zhang Yan and Chen Shi to probe the Qin army, but they were completely annihilated.
At that time, Yan, Qi, and Chu heard that the situation in Zhao was critical and came to the rescue. Zhang Ao mustered ten thousand troops from Dai in the north and camped next to my army. Xiang Yu's army repeatedly cut off Zhang Han's supplies, and Wang Li's army was starving. Xiang Yu led all his troops across the Yellow River and defeated Zhang Han's army. Only then did the other vassal states dare attack the Qin army, resulting in the capture of Wang Li.
So, King Zhao Xie and Zhang Er left Julu, found me, reproached me, and demanded to know, "Where are Zhang Yan and Chen Shi now?" I replied, "Yan and Shi figured I was a goner, so they let me take five thousand men to probe the Qin army first, and we got completely wiped out." Zhang Er didn't believe it, thinking I killed them, and kept grilling me. I angrily said, "Geez, I didn't know you expected that much from me! Do you really think I'd ditch my guys just because I'm important?" Then I took off my seal and handed it to Zhang Er, who dared not accept it. I said I needed to use the restroom, and at this time a guest said to Zhang Er, "If you don't accept a gift from fate, you'll pay the price. Now General Chen hands over the seal to you; if you don't accept it, that's a bad sign. Quickly accept it!" Zhang Er then accepted my seal and took over my army. When I came back, I saw that Zhang Er did not let me regain command of the troops, so I hightailed it out of there. Zhang Er then took over all of my troops. I was alone with a few hundred men by the Yellow River, fishing and hunting in the marshes. And so, things got strained between me and Zhang Er.
Later, King Zhao Xie returned to Xindu to live. Zhang Er followed Xiang Yu into the pass. Xiang Yu gave lands to the princes, and Zhang Er, known to be a straight shooter, was highly praised. Xiang Yu had already heard of Zhang Er's talents, so he enfeoffed him in Zhao territory, appointing Zhang Er as King of Changshan, with his capital in Xindu. Xindu was later renamed Xiangguo.
Many people told Xiang Yu, "Chen Yu and Zhang Er have great merits for the Zhao state." Xiang Yu, because Chen Yu did not follow him into Guanzhong and heard he was in Nanpi, gave him three counties around Nanpi. Then, he moved King Zhao Xie to Dai. Zhang Er was enfeoffed as a king, and Chen Yu blew a gasket, shouting, "Zhang Er and I did the same work, and he gets to be king, while I'm stuck as a marquis?!"
Later, Prince Qi Tian Rong rebelled against the Chu State. Chen Yu sent Xia Shuo to persuade Tian Rong, saying, "Xiang Yu is ruling the world, but he is not fair to everyone. He has given all the good territories to his generals and forced the original vassal kings to live in less desirable lands. Now, the King of Zhao is even living in Dai. Lend me some troops, and I'll use Nanpi to hold the line." Tian Rong, wanting to get some allies on his side, sent troops to Chen Yu. Chen Yu gathered troops from three counties and attacked King Changshan Zhang Er. Zhang Er was defeated and said, "I've got history with the Han King, but Xiang Yu is too strong. He made me a king, but I want to join the Chu State." Gan Gong said, "When the Han King entered the pass, there were five stars in a row at Dongjing. Dongjing belongs to the Qin State. Whoever arrives first will become king. Even though Chu's strong now, it'll eventually fall to the Han King." Zhang Er then fled to the Han camp.
Han King Liu Bang had just brought down the Three Qin states and was besieging Zhang Han at Feiqiu. Zhang Er went to see the Han King, who treated him very well. After Chen Yu defeated Zhang Er and reclaimed the land of Zhao, he welcomed the King of Zhao back from Dai and reinstated him as the King of Zhao. The Zhao king was so grateful he made Chen Yu King of Dai. Since the Zhao king was still weak, Chen Yu stayed to assist him and appointed Xia Shuo as the Prime Minister to guard Dai.
In the second year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang attacked the Chu State in the east and asked Zhao to join forces. Chen Yu said, "The Han King only asks for my help after killing Zhang Er!" So the Han King found someone who had a grudge against Zhang Er, cut off his head, and sent it to Chen Yu. Only then did Chen Yu send troops to help the Han army. The Han army got wiped out west of Pengcheng. When Chen Yu heard that Zhang Er faked his death, he betrayed the Han King. The Han King sent Zhang Er and Han Xin to defeat Zhao, and they killed Chen Yu in Jingxing and chased and killed King Zhao Xie on the Zhi River. And finally, they killed King Zhao Xie in Xiangguo.
In the summer of 4 BC, Liu Bang appointed Zhang Er as the King of Zhao. In the autumn of 3 BC, Zhang Er died and was given the posthumous title of King Jing. His son, Ao, inherited the throne and married Princess Lu Yuan, the eldest daughter of Emperor Gaozu of Han, as his queen.
Seven years ago, when Liu Bang passed through Zhao from Pingcheng, the King of Zhao treated him with great respect, waiting on him hand and foot, like he was his own son-in-law. However, Liu Bang lounged back, berating the King of Zhao, showing no regard for him at all, acting arrogantly! This angered Chancellor Guan Gao and Zhao Wu, both in their sixties and long-time ministers of the King of Zhao. Guan Gao directly said, "Our king is a good-for-nothing!" He then advised the King of Zhao, "Everyone's rebelling now; whoever's got the skills will take the lead. You show such respect to the Emperor, yet he disrespects you. Why don't we just whack the Emperor?" Upon hearing this, the King of Zhao bit his finger until it bled, saying, "Whoa, hold your horses! Our late king lost the country, and it was all thanks to the Emperor that we were able to reclaim it. We owe everything to the Emperor, and our kids do too! Please don’t mention this again!"
Guan Gao and the other ministers exchanged glances and thought, "We were wrong. The king is a good man; he won't betray the court. Besides, it’s an honor to die for him. The Emperor's disrespecting him, so we're gonna get him. How's that the King's fault? If it works, the king gets the credit; if it doesn't, I take the fall."
In the eighth year, Liu Bang passed through Zhao Guo from Dongyuan. Guan Gao and his accomplices set up an ambush in Bairen County to kill Liu Bang. When Liu Bang arrived in Bairen County and wanted to stay overnight, he got a bad feeling and asked, "What is the name of this county?" The ministers replied, "Bairen." The name struck Liu Bang as ominous, sounding like "under pressure from others," which made him feel even more uneasy. So, he hightailed it out of there and didn’t dare to stay in Bairen County.
Nine years later, someone who'd been crossed by Guan Gao ratted him out. The Emperor had King Zhao and his rebels arrested. Zhao Wu and over a dozen others tried to kill themselves, but only Guan Gao, furious, cursed, "Who told you to do that?! The King ain't plotting nothin', but you're all gettin' dragged down with him! If you're all dead, who's gonna prove his innocence?!" He was thrown in a prison cart and taken to Chang'an with King Zhao.
Guan Gao said in prison: "Only those of us involved in this matter, the king knew nothing about it." The officials whipped him mercilessly and tortured him with instruments until his body was a mass of wounds, but he still did not change his statement. Empress Dowager Lu repeatedly told the emperor that because of Princess Lu Yuan's relationship, Prince Zhao should not be treated this way. The emperor angrily said, "Does Zhang Ao controlling the empire mean he'd suddenly lose his daughter?" The court official reported Guan Gao's words to the emperor, and the emperor exclaimed, "By the gods, what a brave man! Whoever knows him, ask him privately." The official Xie Gong said, "I have always known him. He has always been loyal to Zhao and kept his promises." The emperor then sent Xie Gong to question him in front of the prisoner's cart. Guan Gao looked up at Xie Gong, looking tired but still kind as usual. Xie Gong asked him, "Was Zhang Ao really plotting a rebellion?" Guan Gao said, "Who doesn't love their parents and wives? My whole family will be wiped out! Would I exchange the king for my loved ones? The reason I did this is because the king really did not plan to rebel; it was only a few of us who were involved." He then explained in detail the whole story and how the king was unaware of it.
Xie Gong reported everything to the Emperor, who immediately pardoned Prince Zhao. The Emperor was impressed by Guan Gao's loyalty and unwavering resolve, so he sent Xie Gong to pardon him and told him, "Prince Zhang has come out; the Emperor is grateful for your service, and therefore grants you a pardon." Guan Gao said, "I did not die because I proved that Prince Zhang did not plan to rebel. Now that the king has come out, my duty is done. Moreover, having been accused of treason and the murder of the Emperor, how could I possibly continue to serve?" With that, he raised his head, straightened his chest, and died.
After Zhang Ao was released, he continued to live with Princess Lu Yuan as before and was appointed Marquis of Xuanping. The emperor valued the guests of Prince Zhang, and they were all given high positions as ministers or governors. This incident is recorded in the "Biography of Tian Shu." Throughout the reigns of Emperors Xiaohui, Gaozu, Wen, and Jing, Zhang Ao's former associates and their descendants rose to high office, many achieving the rank of 'Two Thousand Stone'.
At first, during the reign of Emperor Xiaohui, King Daohui of Qi offered the Chengyang Commandery and honored Princess Lu Yuan as the Dowager Empress. In the first year of Empress Gao's reign, Dowager Empress Lu Yuan died. Six years later, Marquis Xuanping Zhang Ao died. Dowager Empress Lü appointed Zhang Ao's son Yan as the King of Lu because his mother was the Dowager Empress. Also, out of pity for his young age and lack of support, she enfeoffed the two sons born to Zhang Ao's former wife; one was made the Marquis of Lechang, and the other the Marquis of Xindu.
After Empress Lü's death, the ministers purged the Lü clan and abolished the King of Lu and the two marquises. Then Emperor Xiaowen ascended the throne and reinstated the original King of Lu, Yan, as the Marquis of Nangong. The Marquis of Nangong's son inherited his title upon his death. During the reign of Emperor Wu, this son who inherited the title committed a crime, was fired, and his title was revoked. During the Yuanguang period, Emperor Wu re-enfeoffed Yan's grandson Guangguo as the Marquis of Suiling. When the Marquis of Suiling died, his son Chang inherited the title. During the Taichu period, Chang was fired for insulting the emperor, and his title was revoked. Finally, in the second year of Emperor Xiaoping's Yuan Shi era, the title was restored to Ao's great-grandson, Qingji, as the Marquis of Xuanping, with a thousand-household fief.
To sum it up, Zhang Er and Chen Yu, renowned statesmen in history, had a retinue of exceptionally talented individuals under them. Their administrations saw many rise to high ministerial office. However, when Zhang Er and Chen Yu first supported each other, they were bound by unwavering loyalty, needing no further consideration. But once they gained power, they entered into a bitter power struggle, resulting in their mutual destruction. This raises the question: where did their initial mutual respect and loyalty vanish? What sparked their subsequent betrayal? Ancient people held relationships built solely on self-interest in contempt—that's the point being made here! "Zhang Er and Chen Yu, famous for their wisdom, had top-notch staff. Wherever they went, people rose to the highest ranks. But in the beginning, they were thick as thieves, completely trusting each other. Once they got power, though, it all went to pot; they ended up killing each other. Where did that loyalty go? What made them turn on each other? Back then, people looked down on relationships based on power and profit—that's the whole point!"
